Where Did Hip Hop Start?

You would be living under a rock if you had not yet had your own experience with hip hop music. As claimed by RapTV, “Hip Hop is the most listened to and currently the most influential genre of music, but it is way more than that. No doubt everyone who listens to and makes hip hop loves the banger beats, sick flows, and fire lyrics and on top of that there are so many ways to be creative with new technology pulling up to the scene often.”

Synonymous with hip hop music is lifestyle and fashion. If you were to describe hip hop in one word, it would be “vibe”. As claimed by RapTV, Hip hop has created a movement of energy and motivation that has attracted people from around the world to be a part of. While many hip hop artists are in it for the money and fame, they stick around the music industry because of the “vibe” hip hop provides them with. And let us not forget the fashion. Hip hop has always promoted individuality, and the same goes for the fashion choices hip hop artists promote. While they are often stereotyped as wearing bling jewelry and luxury fashion labels like Gucci or Louis Vuitton, hip hop has provided people with an outlet to truly dress how they like and not get judged for it.

But where did hip hop really come from? And how did it become so mainstream in today’s society? Check out the history of hip hop.

1. The beginning:

Hip hop started as a cultural and art movement in the Bronx of New York, where the demographics of the city was rapidly changing and evolving. During the 1950’s and 60’s many middle-class families left New York City for the suburbs, leaving many African and Latino Americans behind. With budgets for the Bronx slashed and less financial support, hip hop formed as a creative outlet for the struggling residents.

2. The fundamentals of hip hop:

By the 1970’s there were a set of four criteria that had become established in hip hop. This included deejaying, rapping, graffiti painting and break dancing. Together, they created a hip hop cultural movement that soon evolved into a defining genre that would change the music world forever.

3. Old school hip hop:

As hip hop began to become solidified in society, DJ such as Kool Herc were incorporating rapping techniques into their sets, eventually evolving into an old-school hip-hop era that allowed for a new wave of artists to emerge. Each decade brought new artists that gave their own creative twists to hip hop. By the end of the 20th century, hip hop music became the best-selling music genre in America.

4. Hip hop in the 21st century:

The music industry changed at the turn of the century thanks to an emergence of streaming services and a technology boom. Hip hop still abided by the four original pillars of the genre but had now made its way into impacting the dance world all the way to the political world. Hip hop has turned into a cultural component of many cities all around the US, specifically in places like New Orleans, Atlanta, Detroit, and L.A.

5. Hip hop currently:

Hip hop still remains incredibly popular and dominant in the music world. More so than ever, hip hop is starting to cross over into other genres now, such as country music! This crossover has proven to be successful in snagging Grammy nominations and Top 100 listings—proving that hip-hop is here to stay no matter how much the world changes!

Hip hop has evolved over the decades. We loved it back then. We love it now. It is a genre that future generations will love as well. The music world would be lost without the reign of hip hop!

Austine Ikeru
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